Monday, August 24, 2009

One of the commonest question asked by people about my current job is: How did I get the job?

This is my schematic answer:

I have a junior in IIUM Kuantan campus. I knew her from her Friendster and blog. It was my habit and hobby to initiate a relationship, so... Hehe...

She has a brother who also wrote blog that was linked from his sister's. Then I started reading his blog and gave comments few times while in the same time did the same in his sister's blog. That time, I didn't know who actually the sister's brother was. Hehe...

Amazed with the style and contents of his writing, I sent him an email asking how he started writing. That time, I called him Saudara Kelana. Hehe...

He replied my email and he asked me to send my resume. I still didn't really know who he was actually that time. Then I sent my resume in my reply to him. He asked me to call him Abang Shaikh instead of Saudara Kelana. Hehe...

Then, no significant development after that till I finished degree study. In the meantime, Abang Shaikh and I chatted few times through Yahoo! Messenger and Facebook but I never actually asked him what he did as his full time job. We only discussed things related posts in our blogs.

I didn't do anything at home after I finished degree till that I posted a line in my Facebook saying "Szakif Ramli melalui hari-hari yang tidak produktif". Abang Shaikh commented on it saying "Kalau nak kerja, call abang". And I called him. Hehe...

Abang Shaikh offered me a part time job. That time, I didn't know much yet about the institution he worked with. I just came to the office after he treated me a lunch at Cheng Ho. Only after that I know about Yayasan Ilmuwan and who Abang Shaikh was actually in the institution. Hehe...

Then I started working as a part-time worker at Yayasan Ilmuwan for about 6 weeks.

During that time, Yayasan Ilmuwan posted job advertisement and I was informed about that matter but I didn't pay much attention to it since my focus was just to do part time and that's it.

However, due to problem with my application to pursue study, I decided to send application for a job at Yayasan Ilmuwan as Research Executive.

I was called to the interview and I came. Although technically I was known to the panelists during the interview, I still did my best.

On the very same day of the interview, I was informed that I got the job.

Alhamdulillah~ :)

My point is: Berkawan biar seribu, lebih lagi lah bagus. You have all the internet social networking portals. You can name it, Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, Friendster, Hi-5 etc. Make use of them. Don't only use it to connect with people within your physical range, but open up.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

In my last visit to IIUM Kuantan Campus, I went there to get the full transcript from the administration of the university. In order to do that, I had to go to few offices to get stamps and signatures. They were namely the Legal Unit, Finance Division, Library, Residential College and the Security.

If you have no problem with those offices, they shouldn't have problem to immediately give you the stamp and signature. In my case, I had no problem and I finished doing the thing just within 1-2 hour.

Unlike some of my friends, they didn't know that they still had debt with the Finance Division that they need to settle before they can get their full transcripts. Surprisingly, the amount of debt was umimagineably high that they didn't notice that they had that debt (you tounge might twist I suppose :P).

Back to my case, since I knew a person from the Finance Division, I referred to him/her prior to the visit so that I could prepare the amount to pay. Yes, I got some unsettled balance from the study fees and that was fully under my knowledge. Every semester I checked my financial statements from the portal and I intentionally let the balance to be paid later. So, it's highly advised to check the portal occasionally in every semester.

I think it's good to give examples. A friend of mine, he/she didn't know that he/she got debt as much as RM690! And another one, +-RM900!

After finishing everything, I went to the start point at One Stop Centre again to submit the form and finally got the full transcript, alhamdulillah~

Well... Not much about the clearance. But one thing I will never forget during finishing the thing is when I met a junior in one of the offices. As far as I knew, to me at least, she was not very close with me. She was a cute girl, shorter than my chest, wearing nice long tudung. With an innocent face she asked me this question:

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

I got a letter from the Centre for Postgraduate Studies, asking me to submit few documents that were not attached in order for my application to be processed. Ironically, one of them was the full transcript.

I have decided that I will do my postgraduate programme in other university since I have got a permanent job and have started working since early of this month. I changed my mind from doing master programme in IIUM since the application for July intake was delayed to November which I cannot wait for and which I was not informed by the office until I came on early of July. I understand and admit that I sent the application after the due date on 31st May 2009 but that happened due to some unavoidable problems including the closing of CPS office on 3rd and 4th June 2009. However, I was informed that for ex-students of IIUM, the procedure is easier. But to my disappointment, my application was not touched nor sent to Kulliyyah of Pharmacy just because I didn’t submit the full transcript together with the application. I did attach my partial transcript with the application but obviously it didn’t help anything.

For your information, we, students from IIUM Kuantan campus can only get the full transcript starting on 10th August 2009. That means we cannot apply for any postgraduate programme anywhere since the full transcript is crucial for the procedural sake. However, in case of registration with CPS of IIUM, can’t it be made easier for ex-students of IIUM by having some exceptions? It has to be known that willingness and interest for students to further their study in the same university is mostly based on their belief and confidence that the university can provide some proper settings and capacity for their postgraduate studies. Therefore, I think it should be made easier and more lenient for students from the university to register for postgraduate programme without concern too much with the transcript because sooner or later they will eventually submit the transcript which as far as I know do not has much effect on the application.

Therefore, I would like to forward these suggestions to the CPS of IIUM:

Allow application to be sent and processed without the full transcript. Usually, students apply for postgraduate programme because they believe they can finish their undergraduate programme successfully within the expected time. They do not want to waste time and they want to start the postgraduate programme immediately.

Establish a branch office in IIUM Kuantan campus for students can reach the office easily without having to go to IIUM Gombak. Therefore, they can get and send the application even before they finish their undergraduate programme. It is not convenient to go to IIUM Gombak to get the application form since usually final year students are busy with their Final Year Project (FYP) and not to mention academic classes. They usually extend the semester up to May even.

Set up online application for postgraduate programme as what done in University of Malaya (UM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

Allow students to apply directly to the kulliyyah at which they will do the postgraduate programme. This might need some rearrangements with the current procedure. This is especially advantageous for students and kulliyyahs in IIUM Kuantan Campus since they stay there and no branch office for CPS has been established yet there. Each kulliyyah has its own Deputy Dean of Research and Postgraduate and therefore I think registration could be made from the office.

Friday, August 07, 2009

On 3rd August 2009, I stepped my feet into Yayasan Ilmuwan, not as a part timer anymore but as a permanent worker - a Research Executive.

And today I've completed the first week of the job with calm. It's calm because there's not much to do yet since the other 2 Research Executives are still on their ways.

I've never expected I would work in this field since my focus initially was to be an academician, spreading knowledge through lectures and classes to the students. But now, I think I can share and spread knowledge also but not through classes but through reading and writing to a wider spectrum of readers.

It had been my passion to write since I was a child and that explains a lot why I write blogs. During primary school, I wrote stories. During lower secondary school, I joined Sidang Redaksi Sekolah which prepared magazine for the school. I even won a place in a writing competition organized by Selangor state government. During upper secondary school, I didn't write very much and it longed until I entered Degree level back when I was in first year in Gombak at which I started blogging. It was there and then that I continued writing until today. Not to mention, during studying in Kuantan campus I got involve in societies and activities that required me to write proposals, reports and such.

And now I'm working with something that needs me to read and write and I am so grateful with it.

I pray this job to be the best for myself and for my future.

Note: You might want to know what I do actually as a Research Executive, aren't you? Yes, I write, but what do I write about? I save that for later. Hehe...

Thursday, August 06, 2009

This is an entry by request from Wardah Puteh. Although she's currently a third year student who will start the project by next year but she asked me to write this entry for her reference later. However, to all other juniors out there, you may take this entry as your reference also.

Before the project

Set and bear in your mind, it's a 12-credit hour course. Whatever grade you'll get in the end of the project covers both semesters although it's actually divided into 2 parts - FYP I and FYP II. Once you have correctly configured your mindset, you're ready to go.

Search as many as possible journals that would help and support your project. However, you also have to know your own limit. Having said that, it doesn't mean you cannot stop from searching because too much information would cause your time to be wasted whereas you have something else that need more attention than journals.

Ask the lecturer which online database is the best to search for journals related to your project title.

Prepare yourself with some knowledge about statistics. This is most applicable for projects that involve using the statistics for generating results from the data collected.

Of course, most importantly, you must have knowledge and interest about the field that you're going to do research on. Don't just randomly select topic or field that you have no knowledge nor interest at all. You must know what you're about to do, or at least you must have rough idea about what you'll go through throughout the year for completing the project.

Preparation for the project

Arrange your project accordingly and schedule it in a proper table so that your project will run in an organized manner and you know what to do and when to do it.

About booking of chemicals and animals, you must state clearly how much you need and why you need that much. If possible, name also the company you wish the things to be bought from. Don't forget to explain also in written form why you need the things at the expected time (of course since you have your own schedule and the lab management also has theirs).

Always update the status of purchase of your bookings. Therefore, it's advised to keep all documents sent to the management for future reference.

During the project

Follow your schedule accordingly. You have to push yourself because no one would but yourself.

Never expect that you'll get the admired results with only one trial. You may be surprised with the findings.

You may need to reset your procedure or method of your project. Maybe you need to change your project title totally even! This is why it's always best to start the project as soon as possible once you get your equipments, materials, chemicals, animals etc to prepare yourselves for any worst case scenario.

Never forget to update with your supervisor at least once a week and seek for his/her advise regarding your project. Never be malas or malu to do that since they are the ones who propose the titles in the first hand and quite a proportion of the FYP mark comes from them.

Prepare a special log book for your project in which you write everything related to your project.

After the project

When you're done with the lab work/field visit/data analysis, it's time to write the report/thesis. Therefore you have to know the right style for writing a scientific thesis. You may refer from the seniors' thesis or you may ask your supervisor directly. The latter is the best and again don't be malas or malu to do that.

Never expect your draft have everything needed as a great thesis. You're in learning process and making mistakes are common and thus you must learn from it.

Do not be surprised if everytime you see the supervisor he/she'll always make correction again and again and he/she'll add/suggest more and more things to make your thesis better.

Keep on reading this post since I may add new tips from time to time. Should you also have anything to add, leave it in the comment room.

Szakif

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